Perth&Surrounds

Broome&TheKimberley

Discovering areas of untouched wilderness such as stunning gorges, waterfalls cascading into inviting pools, beaches that stretch for miles on end (eighty miles in fact) is an everyday encounter in the North West.

Esperance&TheGoldenOutback

Exmouth&TheCoralCoast

The Ningaloo Reef is the only reef you can walk to. As the closest fringing reef to shore, getting up close to its teeming marine life is as easy as wading in from the beach for a snorkel at Exmouth or Coral Bay.

MargaretRiver&TheSouthWest

Summer Events Boom inPerth

Balmy nights, spiegeltents and sumptuous celebrations of food and wine marks the start of Perth's summer season of events.

Perth is a city transformed, first by the mining boom but now by an ongoing food, drink and festival boom. The city’s festival scene has swung into a higher gear and consistently brought out locals and visitors alike. With endless good weather Perth’s festival season stretches from spring into autumn with outdoor gigs, wine events and seaside sculpture before pausing for a winter festival.

It’s nine pm on one of Perth’s balmy late summer nights and as I make my way with a bottle of Margaret River’s Xanadu white back to a garden table of legendary art student (and former art student) bar PICA, narrowly missing snagging my handbag on someone’s fairy wings, I wonder what to go for.

“What are we in the mood for?” A perusal of the lengthy menu follows and we reach a compromise.

But we’re not plumping for Thai over Indian, or dumplings over the city’s latest Korean Fried Chicken. We’re choosing comedy over variety or some more esoteric late night fare from a festival directory heavier than the city’s phonebook.

It’s the height of the Perth Fringe World, third biggest on the planet, and with over 700 events across a month, even those in the mood for a last minute lucky dip usually err on the side of luck. It can be just as exciting as the anticipation a sold out show and the spontaneity adds to the atmosphere, already alive across Perth’s arts precinct. Fringe also has the option of picking up last minute RushTix online, which offers more information than asking the hard working box office staff to just give you tickets to whatever’s best.

Photo:Cam Campbell

For our first shot we get tickets to a stand up lineup at the busy Noodle Palace, an enormous hawkers’ market with live music and a dance floor. The seven stage venue is actually in the North Metropolitan TAFE campus and the performance spaces have one crucial difference: they’re lecture theatres. For those who always longed for a drink during a lagging class, prayers have been answered.

Our comedy lineup runs from the seasoned to the slightly ridiculous, but even the amateur comedians are good fun. Not quite knowing what we’re getting means no performances are weighted down with built up expectation.

When the show’s over we file out and debate grabbing an Uber from the stand just outside or making our way a few blocks west to the Pleasure Gardens on James Street, a city park converted to outdoor amusement hall with one of the famous spiegeltents and another large lineup of pop up eats. After saying our goodbyes we make firmer plans for the Saturday: Women of Soul in the spiegeltent and drinks in the Outdoor Orchard, if only to see mermaids swim in a water tank and one of the world’s largest disco balls glitter over the crowd (seriously).

Randa Khamis is a stalwart of the city’s music scene. Her band Randa and the Soul Kingdom performed at the Women of Soul events, the Funk Club revival in Fremantle and she also found time to host a sold out bus tour dedicated to the city’s unknown musical past, stretching all the way back to colonial days.

“Every town and every city has its own vibe. We are very good at responding to and supporting the artist. If they (the punters) like it they’ve got no problem dancing and really shouting and getting excited. It’s very communal,” she told me.

As the city has grown, so has its arts scene and it now rivals the east coast offerings with one crucial difference: weather. “They’re very easy outdoor gigs… And now our Fringe is the third-biggest in the world, that’s incredible! It’s a very exciting time for the arts.” she told me.

Photo:Photo by John Leonard

Photo:Photo by Cam Campbell

Photo:Jess Wyld

The festival season runs as long an Indian summer, late into what is Autumn in name only. Before the excitement and quirkiness of Fringe World ends the more mainstream Perth Festival begins, creating a Venn diagram of crossover culture. And even Perth Festival has its own impromptu nature, as evidenced when a fan popped the question at acclaimed Aboriginal singer-songwriter Archie Roach’s gig beside Elizabeth Quay (it was on Valentine’s Day and she said yes!).

With so many events taking place in WA, deciding the best time to visit to catch them can seem a little overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve got hundreds of events to discover at westernaustralia.com/events and some easy filters to help you match your trip to the best events in our state.

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From big to boutique, Perth's vineyards are full of secrets. With great drinking, stories and characters, all just a short drive from the city centre, Perth’s vineyards are a must-visit on a trip to WA.

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Margaret River Food & WineDiscovery

5 NIGHTS from $935*pp, twin share

Experience the beauty of WA on a 5 night self-drive food and wine discovery of Perth and Margaret River. This package includes 5 nights’ accommodation, car hire and a full day wine and dine tour. On Sale 5 August to 16 September 2016. Terms and conditions apply.